Ngurare urges youth council to track govt promises

Prime Minister Ngurare has challenged Namibia’s young lawmakers to scrutinise the country’s water, sanitation and hygiene commitments, urging them to identify gaps in implementation and come up with solutions.

Addressing the opening of the 1st session of the 4th Junior National Council in Windhoek this week, the prime minister said their responsibility was not merely to “debate the country’s challenges” but to offer solutions.

“Our country needs young people who do not only identify what is wrong but also are prepared to help imagine what can be done differently,” he said.

He urged them to keep a close eye on government targets and assess whether they are being implemented.

"Identify grey areas and come up with solutions,” he said.

The Junior National Council comprises learners from grades 8 to 11 representing all 14 regions. This week’s meeting was themed “Towards Universal Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Every Namibian Child”.

Ngurare said the theme should not be treated simply as a discussion about infrastructure, but as a question of human dignity, equality and national development.

“Access to safe drinking water is recognised as a fundamental human right in Namibia. It is a basic human right, not a privilege for a few,” he said.

Gaps remain

Government has committed to expanding water-supply infrastructure in urban, peri-urban and rural communities, increasing sanitation coverage, improving coordination in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, promoting hygiene and ensuring water remains affordable for poor and vulnerable households.

Ngurare said the challenge now was to turn those commitments into reality.

He urged the junior council to use its deliberations to ask difficult questions, challenge one another and propose practical solutions. “The future is not a distant destination that will one day be handed to you. The future of Namibia is being shaped by the choices we make today, and you already have a place in shaping it,” he stressed.

Ngurare acknowledged that the country’s water and sanitation challenges have not been eliminated. 

“Since independence, we have made significant progress in expanding public services and improving the lives of our people. But responsible leadership requires us to acknowledge that important gaps remain,” he said.

He pointed to communities where reliable access to safe water remains inadequate, as well as schools and households where sanitation infrastructure is lacking.

The presence of young lawmakers from all 14 regions, he said, was particularly important because water challenges differ from one part of the country to another.

"Our national solutions must be informed by the diversity of our national experience,” he said.

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